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Scott Polar Research Institute Review 2013 87th Annual Report of the Scott Polar Research Institute University of Cambridge, UK 1 Memorial to Sir John Franklin, Waterloo Place, London Contents Director’s Introduction 2 Institute Staff 4 Polar Research 6 Research Group Structure Polar Physical Science Polar Social Science and Humanities Current Research Grants Publications by Institute Staff 14 Books Papers in Peer-Reviewed Journals Chapters in Books and Other Contributions Doctoral and Masters Theses Seminars Polar Information and Historic Archives 17 Library and Information Service World Data Centre for Glaciology, Cambridge Picture Library Archives Polar Record SPRI Website Teaching, Learning and Understanding 20 University Teaching The Polar Museum Education and Outreach Projecting the Significance of the Polar Regions Expedition Support: Gino Watkins Funds External Contributions to Polar Activities 23 National and International Roles of Staff International Glaciological Society (IGS) Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Fundraising and the SPRI Appeal 24 Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute SPRI Appeal Director’s Introduction A very important part of the Institute’s activity is through the research of our post-doctoral staff and students, who together number between 30 and 40 in most years, working under the supervision of our senior academics. Many research students and post-doctoral staff of the Institute, in both the polar sciences and social sciences, have gone on to academic posts in universities in the UK and overseas. This provides clear external recognition of the high quality of their research work and of the strong research culture within the Institute. This year, for example, Dr Steven Palmer and Dr Kelly Hogan have obtained established posts in Exeter University and the British Antarctic Survey, respectively, and Dr Alison Banwell was awarded a prestigious Junior Research Fellowship at St. Catharine’s College. Similarly, a large number of students taking our Master of Philosophy course in Polar Studies also proceed to doctoral work either in Cambridge or elsewhere; recent external destinations for doctoral studies include Oxford, Berkeley, Harvard and the California Institute of Technology. As well as writing theses and research papers, the latter often together with senior academic staff, our students and post-doctoral researchers regularly attend international conferences where they give talks and present posters on their work. We are fortunate that, through endowed funds such as the Brian Roberts Fund, the Institute is able to support some of the travel costs associated with this important way of gaining experience in projecting SPRI research and obtaining feedback on emerging research ideas. This year, Christine Batchelor won an outstanding student poster award at the annual European Geosciences Union conference in Vienna for her presentation on the seismic stratigraphy and glacial history of the Canadian Beaufort Sea margin. for between a few weeks and about three months, mean that the 43,000 people that the museum Both senior academic staff and research scientists at welcomed last year had a varied and changing visitor SPRI were also involved in the field and subsequent experience. Exhibition topics ranged from ‘Frozen analytical work that led to the discovery of the first Worlds’, which included displays on the Antarctic subglacial lakes beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet. Ice Sheet and ice bodies in other parts of the Solar SPRI played a leading role in the field programme System, to an exploration of the culture and history of airborne radar measurements in Greenland, the of the port city of Magadan in the Russian Far publication of a paper in the journal Geophysical East, which is ice-bound each winter. Our group Research Letters, and the various media stories that of museum volunteers has, as ever, been vital in followed the announcement of the discovery. This enhancing the visitor experience in the museum. work was funded by a substantial and competitively Behind the scenes, our curatorial staff have also been won research grant from the UK Natural Environment busy reorganising SPRI’s wide-ranging collection of Research Council. During the year, staff and students polar textiles and clothing. The Institute is grateful for of the Institute have participated in further field the continuing support of the UK Antarctic Heritage programmes in Greenland, Svalbard, Iceland, Russian Trust in funding the post of Conservator, enabling Siberia and Antarctica. such important back-of-house work to take place. The support of several generous donors also allowed Turning to the Institute’s Polar Museum and outreach the purchase for our Archives of one of Captain activities, there have been a number of major Scott’s last letters, written to Sir Francis Bridgeman exhibitions this year, to go alongside the more just before Scott’s death on the return journey from permanent displays on polar history, ethnography the South Pole in 1912. A particularly moving gift to and science. These exhibitions, which typical last augment our collection of Inuit sculpture was that 2 The Director in the science laboratory of the research vessel Helmer Hansen in Svalbard waters of a large and very beautiful soapstone polar bear I would like to thank the staff and students of the in the will of the late Jay Klinck, a former Masters Institute for their work over the year, including the student of the Institute, in recognition of his time administration, support-staff and maintenance teams in Cambridge. who provide the backup needed to allow research, teaching and public outreach relating to the polar In the Polar Library, the work of transferring regions to take place. It is also a pleasure to thank our entire catalogue of polar literature onto the those individuals, trusts and other institutions who Voyager system has continued, and plans are being have supported our work either financially or in-kind. made for a complete redesign and refurbishment of the Library reception area. It is sad to report that Harry King, who was Librarian of the Institute for almost thirty years before retiring in 1983, died at the age of 91 during the year. Harry, working for many years alongside Gordon Robin and Terence Armstrong in the Institute, was responsible for developing the collection and cataloguing of the Institute’s world-renowned Polar Library, and was Professor Julian Dowdeswell co-editor of the eighteen-volume library catalogue published in 1976. Harry will be remembered by many, not only for his achievements as Librarian, but also for his unfailing courtesy and good humour, and his kindness to visitors to the Library and the wider Institute. 3 Institute Staff Senior Academic Staff Professor Julian Dowdeswell Director and Professor of Physical Geography Dr Neil Arnold University Senior Lecturer Dr Michael Bravo University Senior Lecturer Dr Poul Christoffersen University Senior Lecturer Dr Gareth Rees University Senior Lecturer Dr Piers Vitebsky Assistant Director of Research Dr Ian Willis University Senior Lecturer Research Staff Mr Toby Benham Research Associate Dr Alison Banwell Research Fellow Dr Marion Bougamont Research Associate Mrs Evelyn Dowdeswell Research Associate Dr Janne Flora Research Associate Dr Kelly Hogan Research Associate Dr Stephen Pax Leonard Research Fellow (to October) Dr Shane McCorristine Researcher Professor Elizabeth Morris, OBE Research Associate Dr Ruth Mugford Research Associate (to October) Dr Steven Palmer Research Associate (to August) Dr Remy Rouillard Researcher Dr Ian Stone Editor, Polar Record Dr Olga Ulturgasheva Research Fellow Library, Archive and Museum Staff Mrs Heather Lane Librarian and Keeper of Collections Miss Rosie Amos Education and Outreach Assistant (job share) Ms Naomi Boneham Archives Manager Mrs Naomi Chapman Education and Outreach Assistant (job share) Mrs Georgina Cronin Senior Library Assistant Ms Bridget Cusack Museum Development Coordinator Mr Martin French Library Assistant Mr Bryan Lintott Exhibitions Officer Ms Lucy Martin Picture Library Manager Mrs Sophie Rowe Conservator (job share) Ms Christina Rozeik Conservator (job share) Ms Hilary Shibata Antarctic Bibliographer Ms Willow Silvani Documentation Assistant Ms Kay Smith Museum Project Manager (to March) Ms Rebecca Stancombe Library Assistant Mrs Isabella Warren Russian Bibliographer Mr Jeremy Wong Arctic Bibliographer Support Staff Mr Grahame Adley Maintenance Mrs Nicola Skipper Saturday Museum Assistant Mrs Lisa Avis Receptionist/Secretary (to June) Mrs Danielle Feger Research Administrative Officer Mrs Kate Gilbert Director’s Assistant/Institute Administrator Ms Marion Jeffries Maintenance Mr Martin Lucas-Smith Web Manager Mrs Debbie Moore Receptionist/Secretary Mrs Maria Pearman Senior Clerk Mr Roy Smith Maintenance Dr Adam Strange Administrator 4 Doctoral Students Ms Claire Warrior Ms Dinah Molloy Mr Matthew Wise Dr Ruth Mugford Ms Christine Batchelor Dr Beau Riffenburgh Miss Jennifer Brown Dr Florian Stammler Mr Will Dickens M.Phil. Students Dr John Tichotsky Mr Peter Evans Ms Mia Bennett Ms Dinah Molloy Thompson Mr Jorge Guzman Mr David Burton Dr Olga Tutubalina Ms Tania Kossberg Mr Grant MacDonald Dr Emma Wilson Mr Conrad Koziol Mr Edward Pope Ms Terto Kreutzmann Mr Jonathan Ryan Ms Evelyn Landerer Mr Tun Jan Young Emeritus Associates Miss Natalia Magnani Dr Peter Clarkson, MBE Mr Evan Miles Institute Associates Mr Harry King (died 4 July 2013) Mr Allen Pope Dr Simon Ommanney Ms Jackie Price Dr